Plasti Dip and power washing

Thinking of dipping the grill on my white 1794.You guys that have done this my question to you is how does it hold up to say power washers, car washes, bug removal ect:

 

Did my rear bumper ends last summer. I don’t try to blast it but it’s held up well. Looks like the day i did it. Like all painting/coating good prep is key.

 

It’ll hold up well if proper prep and application is done

 

here’s an example from a guy I saw on my neighborhood who’s contractor, he had his dipped like you’re considering. I stopped and talked to him and he said it’s held up pretty good over the years. I think his was a 2014 model, if I remember correctly:

 

Yeah- did my bumper ends months ago. The other thing about the dip is that you can easily touch it up if you do get a scuff. Just don’t lay it on too thick, as it can run and sag.

My wife backed into my dipped bumper and dented it. The plasti dip was scuffed, but did not tear.

I pulled that bumper end and was able to hammer the dent out and re-spray it with plasti dip. You would not know anything happened.

I think you have to be most careful at the edges. That is where you would start to roll it off for removal.

 

Plasti dip holding up all comes down to how well of a seal you get. I did a lot of coats on my rear bumper caps because they take abuse from dirt/rocks flying up and I haven’t had a chip yet!

 

Thanks for the info guys think I'll give it a try. Will post before and after pics

 

Only other tip I can i can give you is to spray the plasti dip with the can level. I’ve noticed if I spray downwards I’ll get large clumps of plasti dip coming out.

 

Did my rear and front bumpers about 5 months ago. They still look great. As others have said, prep is the key. It's not as simple as spray on and you're good though. Getting it smooth and even can be tricky so you may have to peel it off and try again. Buy extra cans for redo's, keep the nozzle clean and make sure to shake the can once or twice in between each spray. Also, buying one of those rattle can adapters so you don't have to push the spray button down over and over will help tremendously.

 

Another tip, keep the cans warm. Put them all in the sun or some warm water for a couple hours before spraying and shake the hell out of them. If the cans are cold they don't spray as evenly and you'll get some clumps. After spraying, turn the can upside down and spray until nothing comes out so it keeps the nozzle clean. Also, spray in a garage/workshop if you can. If there's too much humidity in the air it can affect the drying process. The more coats you spray on, the longer it'll last and easier it'll be to peel when you eventually need to take it off. I did 7 coats on my bumper ends, badges and bulge about a year ago and they look like they were just sprayed yesterday. I left my bumper ends installed, but I took the bulge off and hung it in the garage.

 

Anyone used the glossifier? I've read it doesn't get real glossy but helps match the satin finish of the center sections and provides a bit more of a protective coating to the "dip"

 

I used glossifier on my bumper caps and grille


It definitely doesn't match the gloss paint sheen, but looks better than leaving it matte/flat IMO

 

Awesome, thanks! How many coats of base and glosifier did you use?

 

I think I did 4 coats base and 2 glossifier, but I'm not positive now. Could have been 5 base coats, but pretty positive I did 2 of the glossifier.

 

How much flash time between base coats?

 

I did 30 minutes in between coats.

 

Thank you Ostrich

 

I did 15-30 mins. I'm in AZ though, so it's usually higher temps and lower humidity - 30 is probably safer in most cases.

 

I did 5 coats of color (first coat was just a fine mist) and 4-5 coats of glossifier. I gave it 15 minutes between coats.

After my bumper got hit, I peeled the plastidip off and it came in one big rubbery peice. The stuff is pretty neat, and surprisingly durable.

From another thread, Plastidip Anthracite is damn near a ringer for MGM.

The glossifier will not quite get to a clear coat shine, but it will give a subtle gloss to the dip. Here is my rear bumper after I bumped out the dents and re-applied the plasti dip.

Here’s a pic of the front bumper, you can see the reflection of the wrinkles in the drop cloth if you zoom in.


And here is the rear bumper after being hit pretty good. Note the plasti dip is still intact, but scuffed.

 

Thanks Panicman for the pics.

 

Thanks! Great info. I wish there was a good match for SSM so I'll so black with Glossifier this weekend.

As for prep I assume a thorough cleaning then wipe down with alcohol?

 

Yes- I used isopropyl alcohol and I wore rubber gloves.